News in Asia

Sri Lanka is putting much effort to promote itself as a safe tourist destination following a sharp 70 percent drop in tourist arrivals in May after the deadly Easter terrorist attack.

The Roadmap for Sustainable Finance report reveals that over the next five years Sri Lanka needs to invest Rs. 30 billion (USD170 mln) to achieve national biodiversity targets.

China is likely to become the world's largest cruise market soon. Supported by international players and the Chinese government, cruise tourism industry is expected to boom in the country, market researches show.

TransNusa, an Indonesian domestic airline that serves mainly the east of Indonesia, including Nusa Tenggara and southern Sulawesi, launched an international route from Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara to Dili in East Timor last week.

A tourism development project will be soon constructed on one of the man-made islands sitting by the world's longest sea bridge between Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao in China.

China Eastern Airlines, a major Chinese airline operating international, domestic and regional routes, is planning to expands its budget air travel network to the Asian regions outside China. 

Four hiking trails on Mount Rinjani in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), Indonesia, are now officially opened again since last Friday. The mountain was out of reach of travellers after the devastating earthquake hit Lombok in August last year.

The officials of Bangka in Bangka-Belitung Islands province, Indonesia, confirmed all the tourists visiting the area will be required to spend at least one night and buy local food in Bangka.

Myanmar's application on listing the ancient capital of Bagan as a UNESCO World Heritage Site will be considered during the World Heritage Committee session in Baku, Azerbaijan, on June 30–July 10 this year.

Myanmar to designate five areas in Mandalay Region, Shan State, Kachin State, Kayin State, and Sagaing Region as national geology parks.

Vietnam Airlines, the flag carrier of Vietnam, and Aeroflot Russian Airlines, the flag carrier and largest airline of the Russian Federation, have launched a codesharing program both on domestic and international routes in the two countries.

Cebu Pacific, a Philippine low-cost airline and Asia's oldest budget carrier, will add a direct Manila (the Philippines) – Shenzhen (China) route to their portfolio.

The Civil Aviation Ministry of India are mulling a possibility to build a second airport in all the major cities in India to cope with growing air passenger traffic and to provide travellers with a wider choice of options. 

Expedia, one of the world's leading travel fare aggregator and travel metasearch engine website, shared the latest trends in hotel demand in Thailand. 

It is situated in Gujarat, India's westernmost state. Gujarat's Raiyoli village, which sits pretty close to Balasinor town is now home to the country's first ever dinosaur museum and fossil park. The inauguration of the new entertainment zone has taken place recently.

Following the opening of the Rohtang Pass for tourists on June 1, the Himachal Road Transportation Corporation (HRTC), the official state-owned operator of Hinachal Pradesh, India's northern state in the Himalayas, announced the launch two new electric buses to serve travellers heading to and from Rohtang.

Vietnam's city of Hue in the central province of Thua Thien is going to promote its famous vegan dishes to boost tourism in the region.

The city authorities of Hanoi, Vietnam, have approved revamp of Hanoi Museum. The changes will deal both with the design and content of the museum.

According to data released by the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) last week, in 2018 the tourism input to the country's GDP accounted for 12.7%. It is slightly more than in 2017 when tourism generated GDP reached 12.2%.

Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific (CEB) and AirAsia Philippines join hands in their support of the government plan that mules the use the Sangley airport for general aviation and domestic flights.